Canoparos Levitae
Sir Canoparos Levitae Sir Canoparos Levitae was a Nesarian (Infrian) military commander and statesman, who gained fame for commanding the Loyalist forces at the decisive Battle of Karotaga. He is considered to be one of the national heroes of Nesaria. Levitae was born to a rich family of minor nobility, who was able to afford a good education for him. Levitae, according to his teachers and parents, developed an interest in military strategy and history from a very young age, and quickly became an expert at chess. He also began to develop an interest in politics in the late 1820s, but this career path was cut short by the outbreak of the Nesarian Civil War. He never had any children, and it is unknown whether this was due to personal choice or infertility (since he was a traditionalist, it is more likely either he or his wife was infertile, but it is impossible to make a judgement, since he did not mention it at all in his diaries). Levitae's rich parents could afford to buy him a commission as Captain in 1833 (shortly before the practice of purchasing commissions was outlawed), to allow him to command troops in the war. He joined the Loyalist side and won several minor engagements, leading to his promotion to Major in 1835. He continuously proved himself by winning battles against greater and greater odds. He was promoted to Colonel in 1837, and the Emperor himself ordered that Levitae should be promoted to General in 1839. He is most famous for the Battle of Karotaga in 1840, however he considered his greatest achievement to be the Battle of Sathoko in 1838. He became a Ceremonial Knight in 1841 for his service in the war. Levitae quickly became a celebrity after his victory at Karotaga, and was hailed as the man who ended the war. His interest in politics was re-invigorated during peacetime, and he was appointed Imperial Defence Secretary in 1841. He became leader of the Conservative party and stood for election as Prime Minister of Nesaria in 1844, and his fame led him to a landslide victory, taking 70% of the votes. After his term was up, he decided he had had enough of being Prime Minister (although he most likely would have been voted into a second term). The Emperor invited him to join the Imperial Council, and he accepted. He held this post until his death. Levitae was an outspoken traditionalist and monarchist, and while he was Prime Minister he took steps to ensure that traditional values were protected and spread, such as introducing the criminalisation of adultery (initially the punishment was only a fine, but later Prime Ministers and Emperors steadily raised the penalty for adultery, and its current punishment is a maximum of a year in prison). He also convinced the Emperor to outlaw polygamous marriages and bigamy across the Empire while he was serving in the Imperial Council. He did not advocate it in public, but in private, he disagreed with the power of parliament and wanted the Emperor to be much stronger both in Nesaria and the rest of the Empire. He has been criticised for holding unusually prejudiced opinions against Orcs, however supporters point out that Levitae's main quarrel was with the Morrokhi religion and not the Orcs themselves. Quotes "You will get those horses up those hill as quick as you can, sir, even if it kills them - the future of the nation depends upon it!" (While ordering the horse artillery to advance at the Battle of Karotaga) "I do not want to see any more good men murdered." (While ordering the cavalry to retreat at the Battle of Karotaga) "What is the greatest invention mankind has ever made? The wheel? The train? Some advance in medicine, perhaps? No; it is pasta." (Written as the "thought of the day" in a Nesarian newspaper)